German bomber offensive

The German bomber offensive was a strategic bombing campaign mounted by the Imperial German Air Service against civilian targets on the Western Front of World War I from 25 May to May 1918. From May 1917 to May 1918, German Gotha and "Giant" bombers killed 857 people and injured 2,508 in 52 raids on Britain.

Background
Until 1915, the limitations of aircraft meant that only airships could carry out long-range bombing missions. German airships launched the first strategic bombing campaign against British and French cities in 1915. By 1917, German airship losses had become unsustainable in the face of fighter aircraft armed with explosive darts and incendiary rounds. Meanwhile, the first large bomber aircraft, the Russian Ilya Muromets and Italian Caproni Ca1, had entered service in 1915. By 1917, the Germans had developed their own multiengine bombers, the Gotha and the Zeppelin-Staaken "Giant".

Offensive
Britain was the primary target for German strategic bombing. Germany's leaders believed that an effective bombing campaign, especially against London, might undermine civilian morale and lead to popular pressure on the British government to make peace. By spring 1917, Germany had assembled a fleet of Gotha G.IV bombers at airfields in occupied Belgium. With two Mercedes engines, the Gotha was able to carry a 1,100 lb bomb load.

On 25 May, 21 Gothas attacked the English Channel port of Folkestone and a nearby army camp in broad daylight, killing 95 people and injuring another 260. At noon on 13 June, the Gothas struck London. Fourteen aircraft appeared over the city without warning, dropping bombs around Liverpool Street Station. The population was so ill-prepared that people ran out into the streets to see the aircraft rather than take cover. Among the 162 people killed were 18 children in a school classroom.

The British government responded to popular anger by diverting fighter aircraft from the Western Front to home defense. But when flying in formation, Gothas could defend themselves quite well against attack by fighter aircraft by using interlocking machine gun fire so that their arcs of fire overlapped. Nevertheless, after nimble Sopwith Camel fighters were added to the British defenses in the summer of 1917, the Germans were forced to operate by night.

Enter the Giants
From September 1917, the German Gothas were joined by a smaller number of Zeppelin-Staaken "Giants". These extraordinary aircraft had four engines and a wingspan of 138 feet - larger than most World War II bombers. The Gothas and Giants carried out night raids through to May 1918, with London, Paris, and the Channel ports being regular targets. In response to the raids, the Allies established an aircraft observation system so that fighter aircraft could intercept the bombers, and civilians could be given time to seek shelter. In January 1918, a bomb penetrated a basement shelter in central London, killing 38 people inside.

Hit and miss
Flying Gothas and Giants to a target city with a blackout in force was difficult, though by emitting radio signals the pilots could pinpoint their position from radio stations on the ground. Many missions were aborted because of bad weather, and mechanical failrues accounted for many losses. In the last major raid on London on 19 May 1918, 43 German bombers took off from Belgium, but nine failed to reach the English coast and only 19 penetrated London's outer defenses. The raid nonetheless caused substantial damage, killing 49 people and injuring 177. Germany then abandoned strategic bombing to dedicate its aircraft to the support of the Imperial German Army in France.

Effect on Britain
The scale of the German bomber offensive was very limited, causing civilian deaths in the hundreds rather than thousands, but countering it tied down British aircraft and guns. British morale was shaken by the failure of the government to protect civilians from attack. South African statesman Jan Smuts, a member of the British War Cabinet, headed an inquiry into air defense in summer 1917. His report recommended amalgamating the separate army and navy air corps into an independent Royal Air Force. This was done in April 1918.

Aftermath
In the course of 1918, the Allies stepped up their efforts to bomb industrial cities in Germany. In June 1918, Britain's newly created Royal Air Force set up the Independent Air Force, a fleet of bomber aircraft based at Nancy in France. Commanded by General Hugh Trenchard, it was tasked with mounting a strategic bombing campaign against German industrial cities, although it mainly performed tactical bombing in support of the army, striking targets such as airfields and munitions dumps. Before the war ended, both British and French bombers carried out night raids on cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt, and Mannheim.